The Dillon tribune., 1887-11-18
FRENCH SPECIALISTS OBSERVATIONS

Tho Mysteries of Right and Len-Left-
handed Pc0plc-Criminals.
Some French specialists have recently
been making observations with II view to
calculating some mysteries in this matter
Of right and left One Of them, in order
to determine whether it is true that men
arc born with the right side more devel-
Qped than the left, has weighed, with
every precaution to render his experiments
accurate, the limbs of eleven infants of
less than 2 years of age-in the dissecting
room of course. He measured the bones
Of the arms and limbs, but in neither in
stance did he find much difference, though
the variations were sufficient to lead him
to the conclusion that though right and
left depend partially on heredity, it is
even more directly attributable to etluca-
tion-that is. to the fact that in regard to
the two hands the child is never per-
mittcd. nor is the adult, for that matter,
to use them iniiscriminately.
Another French specialist has examined
tho teeth with results which he considers
more convincing In sixty-four subjects,
taken Unfortunately, he found that
forty-onc had defects Of various kinds on
the left side and only twenty-five defects
or anomalies on the right. This was Ow-
ing to the general enfeeblement Of the left
at the expense of the opposite side, which
1s more favored by exercise, and possibly
by the freer circulation of the blood. The
left side of the jaw is weaker and less
healthy. 1t was observed by the same
specialist that in the case Of left handed
persons the defects were mostly on the
right. Left handed persons arc rare in all
countries, though the number might he
increased by education. Delaunay, q
French author, counts one for every forty.
Lambroso, an Italian writer, found among
b71 working,nen twenty seven who were
left handed and little more than per
cent. who were ambidexterous. Among
100 Bersaglieri, that js, soldiers Of the
lnOuntain regiments, he found per cent.
ambidexters, and on another occasion
thirteen left handed and one ambidexter
among 2233S workmen.
Another observer found among the chill
lren of a boarding school 10 per cent. left
handed and 50 per cent. using both hands.
A person born left handed cam be taught
to use his right hand with considerable
skin, though lie is always ready to resort
to the left when he is in danger, because
it Is the stronger. Left handed persons,
that is, those born SO, are said by some
psychologists to bc degenerntetl, and some
sort Of mental inferiOrity or eccentricity
accompanies the defect, as is usually the
case with persons afflicted with strabis
mus, harclip, prognathism OF other ply 81
cal Ieculiarities in the nature Of deformi
ty. II has been remarked that there is q
considerable per cent. of left handed
among the insane, and two Italian ply
sicians found among ninety insane pa
tients seventy. three whose sclsibility
was greater on the left side than OF
the right. The criminal instinct seems
stronger among left handed than among
right handed people. DIR. Mario, al
Italian. found in a given number of mai
criminals neprly II per cent. left handle,
and % per cent. among the female delin
.Iucnts-that is to say, for the men thre
times the proportion found among homes
people, and for female criminals fOu
times the proportion. No one need the
desire to bc born left handed, since thi
class is handicapped with either physica
or mental disease den,oralizing ii nO
serious. This need not prevent chillre
horn right handed from being taught til
use Of the left. that they may use either
according to necessity That this can
done is shown 10y III" rapitlity with whic
persons who have lost the right hand 1
arm acquire. the ;,tlrot use of the othe
IT. may be said that as regards tho use {
The right hand and the left man is th
subject OF llerctlity without being abs,
lutcly its slave. --s;au Francisco Chronicle